AGREMENT SOUTH AFRICA innovative construction products assessment
What is “Agrément”? The word “Agrément” is French and it means consent or approval. The Board of AGREMENT SOUTH AFRICA was established in 1969 as an objective, independent agency which evaluates the fitness-for-purpose of non-standardised construction products.
Structure of Agrément Board of Agrément South Africa Technical AgencyTechnical Committee Experts
Why Agrément? Specialises in non-standard products (more than 30 years of experience) More than 350 certificates Complements SABS International links with WFTAO
Certification/Specification/ Guarantee Certificate “What can it do” Specification “How to do it” Guarantee “It will work for a certain period, otherwise you may be compensated”
Why certification? Facilitates acceptance of new products and saves selling time Supports innovation and promotional drives Assures customers that a QA system is implemented Technical evaluation may lead to product improvements
Certification Process Product submitted to Agrément SA Owner of Product Quality Management System developed ito ISO 9000 requirements Evaluation committee formed Submitted to SABS for adjudication Feedback and reporting Planning of evaluation programme - product classification - selection of tests - special considerations Materials testing - material preparation - ageing/conditioning - performance testing Feedback & reporting - discussion of results - technical report - technical summary Preparation of certificate by Agrément South Africa agency If satisfactory, certificate submitted to Board for approval
Checks and Balances Initial screening by Agency Evaluation by experts –CSIR and others –Different experts for different aspects –SABS Review by Agency Technical Committee Board
Quality Credibility Manufacturing On site
Agrément Appraisal Based on more than a single test result Takes into account many factors, including quality management Results in certificate of fitness-for-purpose that enables specifiers to make informed decisions
Approach to performance evaluation Relative rather than absolute evaluation Performance is compared to that of standard products Relies on benchmarking and expert evaluation Challenge: Cooperation
Why avoid absolute performance evaluation? Requires a validated and quantified relationship between performance and test indicators Indicator-performance relationships are not well validated at present
Relative performance evaluation Provides evaluation of performance relative to standard products Identifies product strengths and weaknesses Facilitates judgement re engineering and economic advantages/life cycle costing
Progress to date (bituminous products) Performance criteria established Test methods and indicators proposed Reviewed by local and international peers Applications invited for pilot projects Inertia/reluctance in the market
Current status Invited applications for bituminous products Developing criteria for bridge deck joints Examining possibility of introducing certification system for road stabilisers used on unpaved roads
The way ahead Pilot bituminous product evaluations Authorities insist on Agrément certification for innovative and non-standardised products –Clauses in tender documentation/project specification Cooperation between Agrément South Africa and Road Pavements Forum: –Regular feedback to Forum –Information sharing on products tested –Technical Committees
WFTAO 25 members from 21 countries Facilitates transfer of national products to the global market place Assessments accepted by all WFTAO members - but criteria might differ Co-operation and exchange of information
Test Report vs Appraisal Test report - single aspect Agrément appraisal - comprehensive